I did indeed finish the Lost Lake Run back on August 23, 2014 as planned. But my finish was the only thing that happened as expected. In short, I was undertrained and overconfident. I floated for a couple of years on a large running base, meaning I could just hop of the couch and run a race. I thought I was still there last summer, but that was true only in my mind. My body didn’t follow suit, most likely due to the episode of pregnancy/childbirth/nursing that happened in between. (Duh, right?)

Anyway, I ran (mostly) the 16-mile point-to-point race, and it was beautiful. Just as everyone had said, it was 1/3 up through dense evergreen forest, 1/3 across a high ridge line, and 1/3 back down muddy single-track. The high points were pretty socked in, so it wasn’t much for views that day. I struggled mostly on the downhill portion. My legs were done at about 10 miles and pretty pissed about the pounding I was asking of them on the descent. After the finish I tried standing in line for a beer at the finish line festivities thinking that would help, but ended up just lying on my back in the gravel instead, which was probably more helpful.

On top of that, I didn’t reach my fundraising goal for Cystic Fibrosis. AND I didn’t ever run into Sabrina Smith-Walker, who I had interviewed for my Lost Lake Series, and who, it turns out, is the daughter-in-law of Alaska’s new Governor, Bill Walker. Who knew!

Overall, Lost Lake Run 2014 was a pretty big disappointment. The good news is, the disappointment is completely my fault. Wait, what? That’s good news? Yes, it is. It’s good news, because it means that I am fully in control of doing things different this year, and ensuring a great Lost Lake 2015, or at least maximizing my chances. Training? I’ll actually do some this year. Fundraising? I can put a whole heck of a lot more effort into that. Meeting up with people? Planning and communication go a long way.

So, I’ll just call 2014 Lost Lake BETA. Look out for the updated version, rolling out in the near future!